Not applicable.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a weighted exercise glove. Specifically, the invention describes a glove that is shaped, supported and padded like a boxing glove, with integral weight uniformly distributed over the generally dorsal (back) side of the glove and/or the wrist, allowing the palm of the glove to remain flexible to allow hinged motion of the thumb and finger portions of the glove. The glove may extend beyond the fingertips to completely cover the fingers, such as in a traditional boxing glove, or the fingertips may extend beyond the glove, as in a fingerless glove.
The invention allows the user to wear resistance weight applied to the upper extremities without having to grasp the weight. Rather than having to grasp resistance weight, such as a dumbbell, the user wears the weighted gloves. This prevents strain on the wrists, since there is no requirement to grasp and hold the weight. Rather, the weight is evenly distributed in a balanced manner across the distal portion of the arm, generally from the fingers to the forearm.
The invention is useful for those unable to grasp objects, heavy or light, due to wrist injuries, neurological injury or other diseases or injuries having such a condition. Since the user wears rather than holds the weight on his lower arms, resistance training is still possible for functional muscle groups, such as biceps, deltoids, trapezius, and other upper body and arm structures.
Even for exercisers not injured, the invention provides several advantages over conventional free and fixed station weights. Since the weight is not grasped, strain to the wrists is removed, even when a portion of the weight is distributed about the wrist, since tendons, ligaments and muscles in and about the wrist are not being used to affect hand and finger grip of the weight. Thus, the user is able to isolate and focus her strength training on the targeted muscle group, without having to provide energy and support to the wrists for the grip/grasp. This provides a more efficient workout while reducing the potential of acute or repetitive trauma wrist injury from hyperextension or other strain.
Other advantageous uses include those when performing shoulder shrugs, lunges, rows and lower body workouts where resistance weight is needed. As the weight is always being applied to the wearer""s arms in a glove (which is preferably padded), there is less likelihood of bumping the body with a weight such as a dumbbell. This allows the user to focus on his form and targeted muscle groups affected by the exercise, rather than concentrating on the position of a free weight held in the hands or keeping the wrist straight. When using traditional free weights (dumbbells or barbells), the user is often directing a major portion of his attention, energy and effort towards maintaining proper wrist position to prevent injury from wrist strain and/or hyperextension. The present invention allows the user to focus instead on the targeted muscle group receiving resistance.
Additionally, the invention is useful as a boxing training aid. The shape and feel of the device are very similar to a traditional boxing glove. The extra weight allows the user to improve muscle mass while maintaining flexibility and range of motion during the workout. When the gloves are removed and replaced by traditional boxing gloves, the user is typically able to have greater hand speed since wearing the invention has strengthened the exact muscles used in boxing. In addition, when hitting a heavy bag with the preferred embodiment in which the gloves extend beyond the fingertips, the user feels less impact shock in his arms since the weight about the glove both disperses shock load and minimizes bounce-back from the bag due to inertial forces of the gloves.
When used for heavy weight training, the invention takes strain off the lower back because the hands are in a natural position. This is especially true when performing overhead military presses, since the body does not have to be tilted to clear the chin as required when lifting a barbell. With the present invention, the wearer if so desired can simply raise her hands straight up over her head with the palms facing forward to isolate and strengthen the deltoid muscle group. This is not possible with dumbbells, which requires the palms to be facing inward when lifting overhead in order to prevent the ends of the dumbbells from striking the sides of the user""s head.
In the alternative embodiment, the gloves are weighted with replaceable water. This embodiment allows some flexibility in determining the weight of the gloves, and is especially useful if the gloves are transported, such as in the suitcase of a business traveler. The weighted gloves allow the traveler to have a full resistance weight workout in his room without carrying heavy weight in his luggage. Since water weighs approximately eight pounds per gallon (1.0 gm/ml) and is readily available, it can be filled into integral chambers of the gloves to provide the needed weight. Preferably, the water chambers are baffled to minimize sloshing and related fluid inertial forces.
2. Related Art
Weighted exercise gloves are found in the prior art. Some, such as Walker ""433 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,433, issued Mar. 27, 1990) and Fredenhagen ""853 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,853, issued Oct. 1, 1974) are for developing finger strength. These patents disclose weights on fingers of a glove, in order to increase finger strength for piano playing (Fredenhagen ""853) or grasping a baseball bat (Walker ""433). Neither is capable of supported heavy weights, and both create stress on the wrists.
Other weighted gloves include Guthrie ""706 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,706, issued Apr. 27, 1981) and Schwartz ""097 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,097, issued Jan. 27, 1981). These gloves have pockets for inserting weights. The main disadvantage of such designs is that in their disclosed embodiments the weights break out of their pockets, either from the pockets opening or the retaining material tearing, especially in fast exercises such as aerobic dancing and shadow boxing. More significantly, such devices still require, or at least encourage the user to grip palm weights, thus placing strain on the wrist, especially the carpal tunnel.
It would therefore be useful improvement of the prior art for a weight resistance glove to not have the limitations of the prior art, including those described above. Specifically, such a glove would conform comfortably and naturally to the neutral position of the hands, without requiring the user to grip the glove and its integrated weight.
Accordingly, the objectives of this invention are to provide, inter alia, a new and improved weighted glove that:
provides upper body weight resistance without the need to grip the weight;
has weights that are integral, preferably permanently, to the glove to minimize breakage or disengagement of the weight from the glove;
has weight uniformly distributed across the hand and forearm to minimize wrist strain;
can alternatively be constructed to use water or other similar available fluids as weight; and
is cost effective.
These objectives are addressed by the structure and use of the inventive device. Other objects of the invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification hereinafter disclosed.